The Franco-German fighter jet project, known as FCAS, has received a fatal blow. According to the German government, France's withdrawal is official. The news is being sold as a security issue concerning Russia and tensions with the US, but the reality is more down-to-earth: a fight to decide who gets the biggest slice of the multi-billion dollar manufacturing contracts.
Fifth-generation technology, first-division interests 💥
The FCAS aimed to integrate next-generation sensors, engines, and networked combat systems. However, the division of labor has become a parallel battlefield. France wants to lead the design of the engine and aerodynamics, while Germany pushes to control the software and artificial intelligence of the system. Every technical advance translates into a dispute over factories and patents, delaying a project that already has years of cost overruns.
European cooperation: the art of waging war in the office trench 🤡
The funniest part of the matter is that both governments sell us the same story: that they need more military spending to protect us from external threats. But in the meantime, they are busy sabotaging their own flagship project. The result is that European citizens will pay for two separate fighters, double the taxes, and a bunch of speeches about continental unity. In the end, the only unbreakable alliance is that of industrial lobbies with the bank accounts of the ministries.